The Adventures of Charlotte Lily Potter
by luckycomet09
Summary: Oneshots. The Marvel Cinematic Universe plus Charlie Potter (aka: the best friend/pseudo little sister to Tony Stark)
1. The Day She Drove a Car

"Since everyone already loves me, I've decided to let you get all the adoring fans today. Your future hubby may in fact be at this very venue, and future husbands like wives who can win races."

Charlotte Lily Potter is usually good at handling Tony Stark and all his eccentrics. Today is not her day.

* * *

 **THE DAY CHARLIE POTTER DROVE A CAR**

"Are you crazy?!" Charlie yelled at Tony's back. He had rushed out of the men's restroom with that worrying manic smile on his face, dragged her away from a riveting conversation with Natalie about systema, pulled her all the way to the start of the racetrack which was a good hustle from the restaurant especially when wearing heels, and stole a 'STARK' race-suit from the nearby vicinity. Currently, he stood guard in front of a small dead-end alleyway as she changed into said race-suit. As she magicked the suit to fit her form properly, she silently grumbled to herself about needing to find better, more sane friends.

"Well, it has been said that there exists a fine line between crazy and genius," was his great response.

Charlie glanced up to make a snarky retort only to find his head staring pointedly at her chest. "Anthony!" she yelled, fighting the urge to hex him into the next century as she quickly finished zipping up the heavily padded top. He smiled in return.

"If you have it, flaunt it," he paused in delight at her heated face. "And you definitely have it."

Charlie stepped closer to the man and crossed her arms over her scrutinized chest. "You're like my older brother, Anthony," she deadpanned, "my _old_ older brother. And brothers are suppose to get crazy protective when they realize their little sister is all grown up. They are _not_ supposed to congratulate them."

He clapped a hard hand on her shoulder before pulling her into a side hug. With little effort, he moved them back out toward the track. "I have little time left little sister of mine," he stated so inconsequentially to her disbelief.

"Little time left—!" she sputtered, only to be ignored entirely.

"As such," her ignoramus friend continued without pause, "it is my duty, as your _slightly_ older brother, _not_ old older brother, to find you the very best suitor before my soul parts this Earth." Here he paused slightly in both speech and steps in order to grin unabashedly at her face. "Your chest helps with this."

Charlie felt her face burn red. "Are you—!"

"Here," he interrupted once more, easily batting away one of her fisted hands in order to push a device into her ear. "For communication purposes."

"What do I—?!" she began asking, but any chance of Tony hearing the rest of her question died as an army of cameras and reporters swarmed the duo.

Charlie couldn't help but flinch at the sudden invasion, yet Tony ceaselessly powered through. He forced his way till the pair stood upon the track, pulled a blue 'STARK' helmet out of a fuming man's hands, and somehow managed to get her situated behind his company's actual physical race car, all without giving her the chance to get a word in.

Automatically, she placed her hands on the steering wheel, tightening her fists unconsciously. ' _What is happening right now?!_ " she internally screamed. Her focus centered on her hands gripping the wheel, so much to the extent that all outside noises muffled for a second. To her horror, when she turned her gaze back to her friend her hearing returned just in time to hear Tony finish, "—and since everyone already loves me, I've decided to let you get all the adoring fans today. Your future hubby may in fact be at this very venue and future husbands like wives who can win races."

She probably should've said something in rebuttal against this 'future husband' thing because she wasn't entirely sure Tony was joking about it, but all she managed to squeak out was, "I've never driven a car before."

Faint hope that what she thought was about to happen wouldn't actually happen arose when Tony opened his mouth only to close it without saying anything. He looked at her, probably noting her current deer-in-the-headlights expression, but all hope was dashed as a mischievous smirk appeared on his mustached face. Lifting a finger, he gestured at her feet. "Right is go," were his words of wisdom.

"Are you kidding me right now?!" Charlie lost all sense of calm. She clamored to undo the seatbelt Tony had somehow buckled her into, but couldn't figure out where the 'un-do the seat belt' button was. "And there's more than one pedal, Tony!"

Tony, of course, ignored her struggling and continued his explanation on how the race worked. "When the countdown lights reach the one at the very end, your job is to stomp on that right pedal and beat everyone to the finish line." He shrugged, adding, "Racing is easy and straightforward like that." Charlie glared as he even had the gall to finish his unhelpful explanation with a pat on her head.

"Anthony!" But her fierce protest was muffled by the stupid 'STARK' helmet he slammed over her head.

"Protection comes first," he stated solemnly, his voice coming through the earpiece he had previously forced upon her.

"Fuck you."

"Protection comes first in that too."

Charlie gritted her teeth as she rolled her neck and once again tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "I am going to die," she informed him, somehow managing to keep her voice level. "Protection is not going to do shit."

"As long as you take down Hammer's car with you," Tony chimed in with an always ready response, "you are more than welcome to live life on the edge."

"I'm going to kill you," Charlie threatened, her heart beating her chest as she noticed everyone leaving the track until it was just the racecars and the drivers gunning their engines.

"You love me too much to kill me," Tony countered.

The lights above head began moving down toward the one Tony said meant 'Go'. "Pepper's going to kill you," she revised her threat.

"Only if she notices."

3—2—

"You're an _idiot_."

1—

And she stomped down on the stupid right pedal of the vehicle. At the end of the day she was a Gryffindor through and through, and Gryffindor's never turn down a challenge. If she could be the youngest seeker in a century and win every Quidditch game she's ever played (the one where Dementors interfered never counts in this tally), she could bloody-well drive a car. 'Future husband' her arse!


	2. The Day She Never Thought She'd See

"It had been 412 days..."

Charlotte Lily Potter never realized how much she needed him until she lost him.

* * *

 **THE DAY CHARLIE POTTER NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D SEE**

She didn't give it a second thought. One moment she was looking at the live video and the next, she was standing between the two large computer monitors in the raised center of the room.

She heard the reactions to her arrival - a lot of raised voices and cocking guns - but all the noise appeared in the background, like even her own body acknowledged that everything was second to only Tony.

But he wasn't there.

There was the severe looking lady to her right, aiming a gun at her head. There was a tall blond loosely holding a large hammer in his hand. There was Bruce Banner, the man Tony had alway lauded about. Next to Bruce was Captain America… Charlie's eyes fluttered back to his ostentatious uniform before she felt her blood pressure rise and turned to Natashalie. Natashalie with no Birdman. Fury was there - bloody Nicholas Fury himself. But where was—

"Charlie?" Her name was merely a whisper amongst the multitude of yells and threats, but to her, it was the loudest voice in the room. Slowly, her body turned, slowly her vision narrowed, until it was only Tony at the end of the walkway. He was panting, clutching a phone tightly to his ear and was in the process of lowering it.

"Charlie." She watched as he said her name louder, more assured, no longer a question. He took a step closer, but she couldn't return the movement.

It had been 412 days since she last saw his stupid puppy dog mug - a number she didn't even realize she was keeping count of till this exact moment. He looked… different. He looked more tired, more grey hairs on the top of his head. But, he still clutched a fist at the side of his body when he was stressed, he still had the stupid goatee on his face, and he still looked at her like she was Charlie. Just Charlie.

"...Charlie…"

Charlie could see his mouth moving, but the only word she was able to filter through the state in her mind was her name. Then, she couldn't see him because Fury and Coulson took up arms in front of the mechanic's body. She wanted to smile at their positions because they were trying to protect Tony - somehow in the 412 days she was gone, Tony had earned their protection. But she needed Tony. She needed her friend.

Two things happened in the next heartbeat. One, Tony pushed his way through the human barricade; and two, Charlie took a step forward. Another heartbeat lead to another step. Then a third, fourth, and fifth step and suddenly she was right there, right in front of him. She could see his fist clutching even tighter at his side, his eyes inspecting her body up and down, freezing at the torn bloody shirt demolished at her naval but always returning to her eyes.

"How do I know it's really you?" he asked with a voice barely even audible.

But Charlie didn't have to answer because suddenly Prongs was there. Prongs was there because she hadn't felt this happy - this safe - in 412 days and Tony was _right there_.

"I missed you," her voice rang out. Her mouth hadn't moved but Prongs had always had her back.

She watched him look at the silver apparition with an indefinable expression on his face, and for a moment she believed Prongs wouldn't be enough; it had been too long, the way she left... She swallowed down the lump in her throat, cursing herself to say something - anything - when Tony threw his arms around her and squeezed until her body ached.

"I missed you too," his voice rumbled in her ear. In his sudden embrace, her head had been pushed into his shoulder. The familiar scent of his fresh cologne tinted with a hint of sweat, relaxed her tense shoulders. "Please don't—You can't leave me again."

Her eyes watered, all her walls breaking down. "I want to go home."

He squeezed tighter. "Then let's go home."

And with a loud pop, the duo left.


End file.
